Selector mechanism



Dec. 7, 1948; w. T. LANG SELECTOR MECHANISM I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1947 INVENTOR. Wall'ez' 1? Lazy,

Dec. 7, 1948. w. T, LANG SELECTOR MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1.947

- INVENTOR. Walter 731402139,

Dec. 7, 1948. w. T. LANG 2,455,783

SELECTOR MECHANISM Filed Dec. 5, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR. Waller 71110119,

airman/m w. "r. LANG SELECTOR MECHANISM Dec. 7, 1948.

Filed Dec. 5, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 N N Y INVENTOR.

Waller 7! Lang,

Patented Dec. 7, 1948 UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE SELECTOR MECHANISM Walter T. Lang, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Con trol Instrument. Comparing ,Inc'., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York A Application December 5, 1947, Serial No. 789,994

Claims. (Cl. 177-453) This invention relates to improvements in selector mechanisms, and has particular reference to a mechanism of the type disclosed in the copending application of D. L. Herr, Serial No. 774,613, filed September 17, 1947, and now issued as Patent No. 2,453,911, dated November 16, 1948.

In said application, automatic selection is made of a predetermined one of a group of control elements which identifies a desired electrical onnection to be established and, in response to said selection, transfer elements individual to said connection are then adjusted from inoperative to operative positions and subsequently moved to engage circuit controlling devices which, by said engagement, initiate the establishment of said ceiving a variety of expressions, one of which,

for purposes of illustration, is shown in the accompanying drawings; but it is to be expressly understood that said drawings are employed merely for the purpose of illustrating the invention a a whole and not to define the elements.

thereof; reference being bad to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings: s Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a select r mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereoi; M

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, and showing parts of the mechanism at an intermediate stage of operation;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3; v A

Fig. 5 is a horizontal transverse section on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 3, but showing the parts in a completely operated position. I

The selector mechanism is shown as comprising a base In upon one end of which is mounted an insulated terminal panel I l supporting a plurality of circuitcontrolling elements l2. These elements may be in the form of stationary terminals, as shown, through which ground potential, for example, is adapted to be connected'by an operation of the selector mechanism which will frame l4 upon which are slidably mounted a plurality of control plates l5 arranged in stacked relation and adapted for individual selection.

.Each 'plate l5 provided therein with terminal identifying media in the form of long and short slots l6 and I1 arranged in rows and each slot being individual to one of said terminals f2.

'lfhe arrangement is such that when any one of the plates I5 is selected, the long slots 16 therein Will not be eifective to establish a circuit through the terminals l2 individual to said slots, but said short slots I! will cause the establishment of such a circuit of circuits through their associated terminals. The plates l5 are removable and replaceable by others having differently arranged identifying media thereon and, when in stacked position on the frame l4, are held thusly, for sliding movement only, by the spring urged guide rollers l8 pivotally mounted on said frame l4 and adapted to be swung to vertical positions when removingand replacing said control plates. Other guide rollers |8a mounted on the upper ends of the standards l3 engage the edges of the plates I5 to aid in guiding their movements.

Mounted on the standards 13 for reciprocable movement between the panel II and the stacked I control plates 15 is a carrier frame or press member I 9 which includes a plurality of spaced, paral lel pairs of vertically disposed plates and 2| with the plates of each pair in abutting relation, the plate 2| of each pair having a flange 22 along its upper edge and the plate 20 being provided at spaced intervals with bearing portions 23 (Fig. 5)

Each pair of plates 20, 2! provides a support for a plurality of transfer elements generally indicated at 24 and preferably in the form of pins having upper and lower aligned end portions 25 and 2 5 and an intermediate portion 21 offset from said end portions and made substantially parallel thereto by bending each pin into crank form.

Said intermediate portion 21 of each pinis disposed in one of the bearings 23 which provides an axis for the rotative movement of the pin in extends through alignedslots l6, in all of said plates. The lower ends 26 of all said pins are normally offset from their individual terminals l2, and the lower extremities of said pins, when in normal position, are disposed slightly below the upper ends of said terminals, as shown in Fig. 6. However, upon initiation of the selection of a control plate l5, the frame [9 is first moved upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 to disengage any pin 24 which has been previously adjusted into contact with its terminal [2 to re.- move ground potential from said terminal which is connected thereto through said pin and frame. The operation of the mechanism is so timed that when said frame l9 attains its uppermost position, it will dwell there for a period sufiicient to effect the selection of the desired plate [5 by shifting the same to the position of Fig. 6, with the consequent operation or rotative movement of those pins 24 which extend through short slots I! in the plate being selected. When the desired plate has been selected, the rotated pin or pins will assume the dotted line position of Fig. 5 in which the lower ends 26 of said pins will be vertically aligned withtheir respective terminals l2. The frame l9 then moves downwardly to the position of Fig. 6 and stops in this position to engage the rotated pins with said terminals while nonoperated pins which extend through long slots 16 in the selected plate will remain in position at the sides of their terminals and out of contact therewith. The material of which the pins are made has sufficient resiliency so that when their lower extremities contact the terminals H, the pins will flex slightly about the points where they enter the lower ends of the bearings 23 and said pins will not slide in said bearings due to the bend of the pins at said points. Therefore, the pins will firmly engage the terminals to connect ground potentials thereto, and the resiliency of the pins will permit them to assume their normal state when the frame I9 is again raised. When this occurs, any pin which has been rotated by a previous operation will be rotatively restored to its normal position by the spring 28 connecting said pin to the flange 22 of the plate 2i which provides a support for said pin.

The sequence of operation briefly referred to is the same as that disclosed in the aforementioned patent and the controls by which said sequence is obtained may likewise be the same. Said patent describes a control circuit which, in its adaptation to the present disclosure, will first cause the energization of the motor 29 mounted on the base In and whose shaft 30 is geared at 3| to a sleeve 32 rotatable with respect to the cam shaft 33 and held in place thereon by the end collars 34. Said sleeve has fixed thereto an external cam 35 engaged by a follower 36 secured to one end of the rock shaft 31 which carries two arms 38 adjacent its ends that are connected to the frame l9. Coil springs 39 on the standards i3 normally urge the frame l9 upwardly so that the follower 36 will engage the high or low portions of the cam 35 at all times. The energization of the motor 29 occurs upon initiation of a selecting operation and the circuit for the motor extends through normally closed contacts of the switch pile 4'0 associated with said motor, and also through normally closed contacts of one of a series of switch piles 4| each individual to one of the control plates l5. With the frame I9 in its lower position that it assumes upon termination of a previous selecting operation, the fol lower 36 is engaged with the high portion of the cam 35 and energization of the motor 29 will cause said high portion to disengage from said follower, whereupon the springs 39 will urge the frame 19 upwardly to the positions of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 to disengage any of the previously operated pins 24 from their terminals I2 and raise all the pins above said terminals, in which position they will be free from rotation under the influence of the control plates l5. Upon said frame reaching its up position, the normally closed switch contacts of the pile 40 are opened by a cam portion 43 on one face of the cam 35 and the motor 29 is thus deenerg-ized, in which condition it remains during the selection of a control plate l5.

When the closed switch contacts of said pile 40 are opened by the cam 43, other switch contacts in said pile are closed to establish an energizing circuit for the cam motor 42 through the latter switch contacts and also through the closed conof which are radially oifset relative to each other so that rotation of said cams will successively control the sliding adjustment of their respective control plates l5 to operative position.

This is done by a bellcrank connection 4'! between eachcam 45 and its control plate, and as long as the normally closed switch contacts of the pile 4! associated with the desired control plate remain in such condition, the circuit for the motor ciprocation of the latter plates will cause oscillation of certain pins 24, but their movement to operative position will have no effect since they are now in raised position above the terminals l2.

During the rotation of the shaft 33, the cam 45 individual to the desired control plate will sooner or later reach a position where a projection 48 on its periphery will engage a contact 49 of the associated switch pile 4i and thus reverse the positions of the switch contacts therein. This reversal opens the normally closed contacts to break the energizing circuit for the motor 42, whereupon the driven cam shaft 33 comes to rest with the desired control plate in the position of Fig. 6 and with the pins 24 rotated by said plate in their operative or aligned positions relative to the corresponding terminals 2. Said reversal of the switch pile 4| also reestablishes the energizing circuit for the motor 29 which now resumes the rotation of its cam 35 from the point where it was stopped until said cam has lowered the frame Hi to bring the operative pins 24 into contact with their respective terminals [2 to establish the desired circuit connection, whereupon the motor 29 will be stopped by disengagement of the cam portion 43 from the switch pile 40, as described in said patent. As is well understood, clutch or brake mechanisms (not shown) may be utilized to stop the cams 35 and 45 in proper positions upon deenergization of the respective motors 29 and 42,

What is claimed is:

1. In a selector mechanism, a plurality of circuit controlling elements, a group of selectable control elements each individual to certain of said circuit controlling elements, means to select one of said selectable control elements, a plurality 'of transfer elements having normally inoperative positions relative to said circuit controlling elements and each comprising a unitary pin having end portions adapted for engagement, respectively, with said control and circuit controlling elements and an intermediate pivotal portion offset from said end portions, and a carrier frame in which said intermediate portions are rotatable by the selection of said control elements and the engagement thereof with the first named end portions of said pins to position their second named end portions for contact with said circuit controlling elements.

2. In a selector mechanism, a plurality of circuit controlling elements, a group of selectable control plates stacked thereabove and each individual to certain of said circuit controlling elements, means to select one of said selectable control elements by moving it relative to the others, a plurality of transfer pins having upper end portions extending through said plates and lower end portions normally in inoperative positions relative to said circuit controlling elements and adapted for engagement therewith following the selection of one of said plates, each of said pins further having an intermediate portion parallel to but offset from said end portions, a movable frame constituting a bearing for said intermediate portions in which certain of said pins are rotated upon selection of one of said plates to locate the lower ends of the latter pins in vertical alignment with certain circuit controlling elements, and means to thereupon move said frame to engage the lower portions of the rotated pins with the aligned circuit controlling elements.

3. In a selector mechanism, a plurality of circuit controlling elements, a group of selectable control plates stacked thereabove and each individual to certain of said circuit controlling elements, means to select one of said selectable control elements by moving it relative to the others, a plurality of transfer pins having upper end portions extending through said plates and lower end portions normally in inoperative positions relative to said circuit controlling elements and adapted for engagement therewith following the selection of one of said plates, each of said pins further having an intermediate portion parallel to but offset from said end portions, a movable frame comprising opposed plates combining to form bearings in which said intermediate portions of the pins are located for the rotation of certain of said pins upon selection of one of said control plates to position the lower end portions of the rotated pins for contact with associated circuit controlling elements, means to thereupon move said frame to engage said lower ends of the rotated pins with the last named circuit controlling elements, and means connecting one of said frame plates with the rotated pins to restore the latter to normal upon initiation of the selection of another control plate.

4. In a selector mechanism wherein circuits are established through certain of a plurality of circuit controlling elements by the selection of one of a group of control elements individual to said certain circuit controlling elements, the combination of a carrier frame movable relative to said control and circuit controlling elements, and transfer elements each individual to one of said circuit controlling elements and movable with said frame and rotatively supported therein about axes substantially parallel to the movement thereof, said transfer elements having portions operable by said selectable control elements to rotate said transfer elements to positions wherein they will engage the circuit controlling elements upon movement of said carrier frame toward the latter elements.

5. In a selector mechanism wherein circuits are established through certain of a plurality of circuit controlling elements by the selection of one of a group of control elements individual to said certain circuit controlling elements, the combination of a carrier frame movable relative to said control and circuit controlling elements, a plurality of transfer pins each individual to one of said circuit controlling elements and adapted for contact therewith to establish a circuit and each comprising upper and lower end portions, the former of which are engaged by and adapted for actuation by said selectable control elements and the latter end portions being capable of flexing when engaged with one of said circuit controlling elements, each pin further including an intermediate oifset portion constituting an axis for the rotation of said pin when the upper end thereof is actuated by a selectable control element, a movable frame in which said intermediate portions of said pins have only rotative movements,

} and means to move said frame to engage the No references cited. 

